By the time the house had gone still — baby Taeho asleep again, Jungkook’s snores echoing from the guest room — Taehyung slipped away from the mess they’d made.

She showered — scalding water pounding her bruised skin, washing away the sweat, the filth, the taste of Jungkook’s voice still ringing in her ears. But no amount of soap could scrub away the truth: she wanted this. All of it.

And yet… the piece of her that ached for Hyunbin was real too. Always would be.

Because no matter what she did — no matter how deep she drowned herself in Jungkook’s cock, his filthy praise — her heart still clung to Hyunbin’s softness like a drowning woman grasping driftwood.

⸻

She found him in their bedroom — their real one — the sheets neat, the pillows still fluffed like he’d been too afraid to sleep in a bed that felt so empty.

He sat on the edge, staring at the floor, shoulders hunched. When she opened the door, he flinched like she was a ghost. His big eyes — so gentle, so broken — flicked up to her, then away again.

“Hyunbin…” she breathed — soft, vulnerable, dripping sugar over poison.

He didn’t speak — just let his gaze drag over the bruises on her breasts, the bite marks, the faint red lines on her hips.

She stepped closer, her damp hair sticking to her bare shoulders, the old silk robe slipping just enough to show the raw truth of what she’d done.

“Why…” he croaked, his voice cracking. “Why do you keep… doing this?”

She straddled his lap before he could move away — cupping his face in her soft hands, pressing her forehead to his like a lover who’d never betrayed him.

“Baby…” she whispered, tears welling up on cue. “You know why. You know how much I love you. You’re my husband. My soulmate. He’s just… it’s just his way of feeling needed. He’s old. Lonely. I’m only yours, you know that, right?”

Hyunbin’s hands twitched uselessly at her waist — not pulling her close, not pushing her away. He swallowed, his eyes glassy and wet.

“You let him… everywhere, Taehyung. In this house. While I hold our baby…”

She sniffled — a single tear slipping down to land on his lip. She kissed it away, her voice breaking in all the right ways.

“And I hate myself for it,” she lied so sweetly. “But baby… you’re the only man I love. I swear . You’re my good boy. My sweet boy. Always.”

⸻

His resolve cracked — like wet paper splitting down the middle. He curled into her, burying his face in her soft chest, big tears soaking her skin while she stroked his hair.

“It’s okay, baby,” she whispered, rocking him like he was her child. “Mama’s here. You don’t have to be strong. You’re my good boy, okay? My only one.”

In the dark, Hyunbin let himself believe it. Because believing the lie was the only way he could keep her — and she knew it.